June 6, 2018

Remember when the Twins scored 29 runs against Cleveland?

The Twins made their recent series with Cleveland seem like ancient history after the team scraped together seven runs in two games and split their series-opening doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The Pale Hose limped into town 20 games under .500, yet nearly beat the Twins in both games.

The Twins staved off defeat in Game 1, courtesy of Eduardo Escobar who had two extra-base hits, including a three-run home run. The Twins scored four runs in the eighth inning and came from behind to win 4-2. In Game 2, the Twins fell behind early and never recovered, losing 6-3.

Zack Littell, the ex-Yankee prospect who showed promise in the minor leagues and in spring training with the Twins, made his debut in Game 2 and it didn’t go well. He allowed six earned runs, including four in the top of the first inning, and was done after three innings and 86 pitches. He exited with an ERA of 18.00.

Jake Odorizzi gets the ball Wednesday.

Extra innings…

-Eduardo Escobar had five hits in the doubleheader.

-The Twins looked to the Northwest with their first pick in Monday’s MLB draft and took Oregon State University outfielder Trevor Larnach, the No. 20 pick overall. Larnach, according to MLB.com, hit .324 with 17 homers, 13 doubles and 64 RBI in 55 games with the Beavers.

-Monday was the 44th anniversary of “Ten cent beer night,” a Cleveland Indians’ promotion that went horribly wrong on June 4, 1974. It ended with a drunken riot and the game was forfeited to the Texas Rangers.

Cleveland wasn’t alone in promoting ten cent beer night, according to The Plain Dealer. The Tribe had just come from a similar event in Texas, in which fans had thrown beer and food at them. Rangers manager Billy Martin then stirred the pot when asked if he was worried about retaliation in Cleveland.

Cleveland didn’t have enough fans for them to worry about, Martin said.

Today in 1974, all hell breaks loose on "Ten Cent Beer Night" in Cleveland as the Indians forfeit the game when drunken fans storm the field and riot. pic.twitter.com/Cey1KQeSeu

Hi, I’m Rolf Boone and I love the Twins.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.